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T+A MP 3100 HV G3 multisource player Measurements

Sidebar 3: Measurements

Jim Austin reviewed the original version of the T+A MP 3100 HV in June 2020. On the outside, the upgraded G3 version reviewed by HR appears unchanged, but the processor is now Roon Ready. I measured the T+A with my Audio Precision SYS2722 system using CD and SACD test discs, the S/PDIF inputs, and with test tone files played with Roon or stored on a USB stick inserted into the front-panel port. (I wasn't able to send data to the MP 3100 HV G3 via USB from my 2017 MacBook Pro, and the review sample had to be picked up and shipped to AXPONA 2026 before I was…

Seismic shifts at MBL, Audio Research

Two major figures in high end audio have quietly moved on from long-held positions.

Jürgen Reis, MBL's chief engineer for 42 years, has left MBL. Reis is the person who took the core idea of the Radialstrahler speaker and turned it a viable product.

In an email, Reiss told Stereophile, "The transition from MBL Akustikgeräte to MBL International does go differently to what I would like to see or would / can support. It appears that there are different views regarding both the company's legacy (all my work) and its future direction.

"I remain available to support former…

Dr. Feickert Analogue shows us the new Virgo SE turntable at High End Vienna 2026

Ola Björling talks to Dr. Christian Feickert about Dr. Feickert Analogue's new turntable, the Virgo SE, at High End Vienna 2026 in a video interview that's now posted on our official YouTube channel.

Tonearm Tales: Supatrac at High End Vienna 2026

Ola Björling speaks with Richard Braine of Supatrac at High End Vienna 2026 about his tonearm design philosophy, why he feels it's an exciting time for vinyl, and whether a Supatrac turntable might be part of the company's future plans in a video interview that's now posted on our official YouTube channel.

For more information about Supatrac tonearms, see Michael Trei's Spin Doctor #35. Or, Follow us on YouTube.

Don Dixon, Coproducer of R.E.M.'s Murmur and Reckoning

Over the past 40 years, R.E.M.'s 1983 full-length debut, Murmur, has come to seem ever more timeless. "There's something very special about that record that you can't put into words exactly," mused Don Dixon, who coproduced Murmur and its follow-up, Reckoning, in a recent interview.

"The band always wore its heart on its sleeve, very democratic. It was not a lead singer with a band. It was not two guys who controlled the band. [Drummer] Bill Berry was huge. And we had to figure out how to anchor everything around [Mike] Mills's more melodic and contrapuntal kind of bass playing," Dixon…

Silent Pound is in Bloom at High End Vienna 2026

Ola Björling speaks with Silent Pound's Audrius Balciunas at High End Vienna 2026 about the company's Bloom speakers, as well as what their plans are for a potential new speaker coming in the fall, in a video interview that's now posted on our official YouTube channel.

Ola's review of the Bloom speakers is coming soon to Stereophile.

Revinylization #75: Heart's Dreamboat Annie Gets a Sonic Facelift

Hard rock in the 1970s was mostly a game for dudes. Although Janis Joplin and Grace Slick had broken through in the 1960s with major rock hits, Coven lead singer Jinx Dawson had gained some notoriety, and Fanny (one of the first all-female rock bands) had some success, the rock charts were male dominated.

That's not surprising, given the aggressive, testosterone-driven nature of the music. But there were plenty of female rock fans, and what teenage male doesn't appreciate a pretty woman belting out a solid rocker? The stage was set for women to kick open the door and make some chart-…

Spin Doctor #37: Argento Flow Ultima cables and the Collaro Triscription record weight

A lot of us are vulnerable to marketing and hype, especially when we are young and impressionable. As a young kid, I was convinced that Sea Monkeys for a dollar from the back of a comic book would bring me a bowlful of happiness, until my Uncle Jim convinced me that not all was what it seemed.

Uncle Jim was my dad's lifelong best friend, the closest thing to an Ernest Hemingway type I ever knew (footnote 1). Jim flew helicopters for the US Navy in Antarctica and had double the flying hours of any other pilot on that continent. He was the pilot during two fatal accidents caused by engine…

EMM Labs PREi line preamplifier Measurements

Sidebar 3: Measurements

I measured a different sample of the PREi from that auditioned by Jason Victor Serinus; mine had the serial number PRO37. I used my Audio Precision SYS2722 system to perform a complete set of tests using both the PREi's balanced and unbalanced inputs and outputs.

The PREi preserved absolute polarity (ie, was noninverting) with all the inputs and outputs. (The preamplifier's balanced XLR jacks are wired with pin 2 hot, the AES convention.) The volume control operated in accurate 0.5dB steps, and with this control set to the maximum of "+6dB," the gain was 5.…

EMM Labs PREi line preamplifier Associated Equipment

Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment

Digital sources: dCS Varèse six-piece music system with CD/SACD transport; Innuos Nazaré Music Server and PhoenixNET network switch; Small Green Computer Sonore opticalModule Deluxe (2); Broadcom/Avago AFBR-5718PZ 1GB SX-SFP, Gen 5 Fiber Optic modules (2); Nordost QSource linear power supply (2); Sonore Audiophile Linear Power Supply; Synology 5-bay 1019+ NAS with Ferrum Hypsos linear/switching hybrid power supply; ASUS AX6000 and RT-AX88U Pro mesh routers and Netgear Nighthawk modem; Apple 2023 iPad Pro and 2025 MacBook Air.
Power amplifiers: Dan D'…